What is App Localization, and How to Do it Right?

Since their inception, mobile devices have fundamentally altered how we interact with technology. More than 5 billion people around the globe own a mobile device, representing nearly two-thirds of the world’s population. This number is expected to rise to 95% by 2030. With such an explosion in mobile device usage, it’s surprising that many companies still fail to fully capitalize on the potential of mobile app localization.

In this article, we’ll explore why mobile app localization is critical for expanding your app's reach and provide a detailed guide on how to successfully localize your mobile application. We’ll also discuss tools and services that can make the process smoother, such as MotaWord, which offers professional mobile app localization services to help your app resonate with users in every region.

What is Mobile App Localization?

First, let’s start with the basics. What is App Localization? Also known as l10n in the industry, app localization is the process of adapting mobile applications to a specific country’s market, language, culture, and usage. It’s a process that needs to be handled by professional translators to have a real impact on your app’s success with the target audience. A service built on human translation will ensure that your localization considers the market, culture, humor, and language nuances.

Conduct market research to prepare your app for localization. Understand the behaviors and goals of consumers along with your competitors. Sometimes, it also means you might want to consider changing your app’s name in a given country.

Look at what other brands are doing in the country. Often, they have done the research and know how best to adapt their brand name to the market. Let’s look at China, the largest market for all iOS and Android apps. Many big brands, such as Nike, Pepsi, and LinkedIn, decided to transliterate their brand names while localizing. Being able to read your brand name in the local Chinese alphabet is important for market visibility. The more you adapt to local consumers’ market habits, the more likely you are to succeed.

Why is App Localization Essential?

Your app’s visibility and adoption depend on the quality of its localization process. So, you will have to be careful while choosing the right app localization services. Content translation from one language into another does not localize your app and does not give you the full benefits of a truly localized app.

In short, what you are trying to achieve by localizing your Android or iOS app is:

• Global Reach: Localization enables your app to reach users from all over the world. With the rise of mobile device usage in countries outside the U.S. and Europe, it's essential to adapt your app to the languages and cultural norms of these emerging markets.

• Increased Engagement: Users are more likely to engage with an app that speaks their language and aligns with their cultural preferences. A localized app is more likely to achieve higher user retention and increased engagement, as users find the app more intuitive and user-friendly.

• App Store Visibility: Localizing your app store page (including the app’s name, description, keywords, and screenshots) greatly improves its discoverability in local markets. Users are more likely to download an app that is described in their native language, improving app visibility and download rates.

• Higher ROI: A localized app allows you to tap into new markets, potentially leading to increased revenue from a broader user base. Localization can help you cater to different demographics and cultural groups, driving higher sales, subscriptions, or in-app purchases.

Pokémon GO is an example of successful localization from Japanese to other global markets. “We had to make a lot of changes from the animations and translations, even down to some of the most minute details. We had to swap cigarettes for lollipops, tea ceremonies for other types of gatherings. We had to make kids understand it, and we had to show them how to get to know and enjoy the characters," says Al Knight, head of international marketing of the game app. The game reached a revenue of 830 million USD in its first year (2016).

App Localization, as you can see, is more than just a language translation. It adapts the product or service to meet the overall needs and expectations of foreign consumers. By localizing your app, you improve not just its accessibility but also its usability and user experience across a wide range of markets, thus increasing its global appeal.

3. Types of Mobile App Localization

When it comes to app localization, companies generally follow two strategies: Minimum Viable Localization (MVL) and Full App Localization. The approach you choose depends on your budget, timeline, and market objectives.

Minimum Viable Localization (MVL)

MVL involves localizing only the most essential elements of your app. This might include:

• Translating key content and app store descriptions. \
• Adapting basic UI elements to make the app functional in the new market.

MVL is ideal for startups or companies looking to enter a new market quickly without extensive investment in full localization.

Full App Localization

Full app localization requires more in-depth changes across the entire app. This includes:

• Translating all in-app content and UI elements.

• Adapting images, graphics, and colors to suit cultural preferences.

• Implementing local payment systems, adjusting for regional laws, and adding customer support for different languages.

Full localization offers a more comprehensive experience for users in different regions, ensuring that your app feels like it was built specifically for them.

How to Get Started with Mobile App Localization

To successfully localize your mobile app, follow these steps:

Conduct Market Research

Before you dive into localization, it’s essential to conduct thorough market research. Understand your target market’s behaviors, needs, and preferences. This includes identifying which languages to target, how users in different countries interact with mobile apps, and how your competitors are localizing their apps.

Choosing the Right Languages

Just because a language is widely spoken doesn’t mean it’s the right one for your app. For example, if your app caters to a niche market (e.g., a bike-sharing app), focus on countries with a strong cycling culture, even if their overall market size is smaller. This helps ensure that your app reaches users who are likely to engage with it.

Localization Tools and Services

Several localization tools and services can simplify the process. MotaWord offers professional mobile app localization services, streamlining the translation process, ensuring quality control, and helping manage the complexities of localization. These services are equipped with features like translation memory, which reuses previously translated content to ensure consistency and save on costs.

App Localization Strategy and Tools

To localize your app effectively, it’s essential to develop a comprehensive localization strategy. This strategy should include:

Localization Roadmap

• Market Prioritization: Choose markets with the highest potential for your app.

• Budget: Set a budget that covers both translation and technical adjustments.

• Timeline: Establish a clear timeline for localization to ensure your app is ready for launch in each new market.

Localization Platforms

Using professional localization platforms like MotaWord can streamline the process. Our platform offers a centralized hub for managing translations, collaborating with translation teams, and ensuring that every part of your app is localized correctly. We also offer automation to handle large-scale localization projects more efficiently. By automating the extraction of text for translation and integrating with your development process, you can ensure that updates to the app are localized as they are made.

Common App Localization Challenges

Despite its importance, many companies face challenges when localizing their apps. Some of the most common obstacles include:

1. Delays and Extra Costs

If localization is not integrated into the development process early, it can lead to delays and unexpected costs. To prevent this, plan for internationalization (the process of making your app ready for localization) during the early stages of development.

2. Quality Assurance (QA) Issues

Localization mistakes, such as incorrect translations or poor layout adjustments, can harm user experience. To prevent this, conduct thorough linguistic and functional testing to ensure that the localized app meets the expectations of your target users.

3. Development-Localization Lag

In some cases, localization is treated as a separate process from app development. This can lead to bottlenecks and delays. To avoid this, integrate localization into your agile development process so that both teams work in tandem, ensuring a smooth and efficient workflow.

4. Inadequate Localization Technology

The right localization tools are essential for streamlining the process and maintaining quality. Platforms like MotaWord provide the necessary tools to automate much of the translation process and ensure that localization is integrated into your app’s workflow.

App Localization Testing and Quality Assurance

Once the app has been localized, it’s crucial to conduct rigorous testing to ensure its functionality and accuracy across all markets. Here’s what you must do:

• Check translations for accuracy, spelling, grammar, and cultural relevance. It’s important to make sure the text flows naturally in the target language and makes sense in the local context.

• Test the app’s functionality in different languages to ensure that everything works as expected. This includes verifying payment methods, ensuring text displays correctly, and checking that all features are available in localized versions.

• App store optimization (ASO) is a crucial part of mobile app localization. To maximize your app’s visibility in local markets, ensure that the app’s page is fully localized.

• Localize the app’s name, description, and keywords to match local search behaviors. This increases the likelihood of your app being discovered by users in the target region.

• Ensure that all visual elements, including screenshots and icons, are culturally relevant and adapted to local tastes. Localized visuals improve the user experience and make the app feel more native to the region.

iOS App Localization

So, how does app localization work for the iOS platform? As you know, Apple has been thriving for years. Currently, its App Store is available in 175 countries and 37 languages. To prepare your app to support multiple languages, Apple’s tools and technologies, such as Xcode 16, Apple APIs, Unicode, and Auto Layout, will help you both translate and localize your app.

Get Started

Even though certain languages are popular, it doesn’t mean that your app should be localized in them. Before you start localizing, you need to know who your target audience is, their behaviors, and whether or not your product will be viable in your target market. For example, if you are a bike-share app, you would most likely target bike-friendly countries, even if their market size isn’t the largest. Localizing your content into the right languages will result in greater overall adoption of the app.

Test Your Localization

Before launching your localized mobile app, you can use TestFlight to share your app with a select group of users and beta test its performance. This allows you to make localization improvements before releasing the app to the masses.

Prepare for the App’s Page

The first impression is important. If you localize effectively, you have a better chance of getting your app noticed on Apple’s App’s page. Don’t forget to localize what you want included on the App’s Page- keywords, app description, and screenshots for each language.

Evaluate Your Success

Localization doesn’t end when your app is downloadable. You should continue to track both app discovery and engagement. Apple offers App Analytics for developers, where you can filter the data by the territories in which you’ve expanded. You can and should always change your strategy or add additional localization operations once you have identified issues or opportunities from the data.

Android App Localization

Android devices have millions of users in over 190 countries. Mobile app localization for Android devices will, if you choose the right target market, increase your users exponentially.

Android already provides a list of localization libraries with the Software Development Kit. These include number formatting, date and time formats, plural and gender rules, etc. Do not forget to use Android standard terminology for UI elements such as Notifications, Options Menu, etc. Using Android terms consistently makes localization easier and results in a better experience for end-users. As always, don’t forget to localize your product to rank on the App’s page. This includes keywords, app descriptions, and images.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. What are the best tools for app localization?

MotaWord is one of the leading services in mobile app localization. We provide translation and localization services, human proofreaders, automated workflows, and quality assurance features to streamline the localization process.

2. How do I localize the app page on the App Store?

Localize your app’s name, description, keywords, and visual assets to improve your app’s discoverability in the target region.

3. What are the costs of mobile app localization?

Costs can vary depending on the complexity of the app and the number of regions involved. Professional services like MotaWord can help keep costs manageable while ensuring high-quality localization.

Ensuring Global Success with Localization

If you’re looking for a mobile app localization service for your app localization, you are at the right place! MotaWord, with its 20,000+ professional translators and revolutionary collaborative translation model, will give you the best app translation services while keeping your app translation costs low. For more information on how to localize your app with MotaWord, feel free to email us at info@motaword.com or come chat with us through our 24/7 live chat.